Natural Disasters Scorecard true 0% 3 Checks mostly true 0% 9 Checks half true 0% 10 Checks mostly false 0% 13 Checks false 0% 64 Checks Pants on Fire 0% 14 Checks For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact All Fact-checks for Natural Disasters Jared Moskowitz stated on January 22, 2026 an X post The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “backlog of unanswered disaster assistance applications has exploded to the largest in its history.” By Samantha Putterman • January 28, 2026 X posts stated on October 26, 2025 a post on X Video shows Hurricane Melissa hitting Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. By Maria Briceño • October 27, 2025 TikTok posts stated on July 16, 2025 a Threads post Elk, grizzly bears, bison and mountain lions are fleeing Yellowstone National Park to Salt Lake City, Utah. By Maria Briceño • August 7, 2025 X posts stated on July 29, 2025 a post Oprah Winfrey refused to open her private Maui road during July 29, 2025, tsunami warnings. By Maria Briceño • July 30, 2025 X posts stated on July 12, 2025 an X post The Kerr County, Texas, sheriff “said he would apply for a green card for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family.” By Maria Briceño • July 14, 2025 Social Media stated on July 5, 2025 posts on social media The Rainmaker Technology Corp.’s cloud seeding caused the July 4 flooding in Texas. By Madison Czopek • July 7, 2025 Brian Tyler Cohen stated on April 12, 2025 an X post Trump “just denied North Carolina’s request for FEMA relief from Hurricane Helene.” By Paul Specht • April 24, 2025 Adam Schiff stated on January 26, 2025 an interview on NBC's Meet the Press “As a Californian, we have given more to the recovery of other states than any other state in the union.” By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • January 31, 2025 TikTok posts stated on January 24, 2025 a video on TikTok “JD Vance is in North Carolina, and he’s found furnished apartments to put the people in that have been living in tents.” By Madison Czopek • January 30, 2025 Donald Trump stated on January 24, 2025 remarks in North Carolina "The Biden administration kicked 2,000 displaced North Carolinians out of their temporary housing into freezing 20-degree weather," earlier in January. By Amy Sherman, Paul Specht • January 29, 2025 Facebook posts stated on January 21, 2025 a Facebook post “FEMA has been directed back to North Carolina with $2 billion in emergency funds: ‘We transferred it from the programs that fund welfare for illegals. They don’t be needing it.’” January 24, 2025 Dana Loesch stated on January 6, 2025 an X post Buncombe County “is still demanding property taxes on homes destroyed by Hurricane Helene based on pre-Helene assessments that no longer apply.” By Paul Specht • January 17, 2025 Facebook posts stated on January 10, 2025 a post on Facebook “So (Los Angeles), Hollywood, and California (get) 100% aid for the next 180 days while Western North Carolina got $750.” By Madison Czopek • January 16, 2025 Instagram posts stated on January 14, 2025 a post on Instagram The Biden administration is offering only “$770 for people who lost everything” in the Los Angeles wildfires. By Madison Czopek • January 15, 2025 Instagram posts stated on January 10, 2025 a post The Los Angeles wildfires were planned in preparation for the 2028 Olympics. By Sara Swann • January 14, 2025 X posts stated on January 8, 2025 a post “FEMA spent billions on illegal immigrants and now has no money for California!” By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • January 10, 2025 Threads posts stated on January 8, 2025 a post The Los Angeles Police Department is “looking for three ‘persons of interest’ all tied to a MAGA website who were spotted at the source of all three major LA fires.” By Sara Swann • January 9, 2025 X posts stated on November 20, 2024 an X post FEMA delivered “only four” temporary housing units to Helene victims in North Carolina as of Nov. 20. By Paul Specht • December 10, 2024 Facebook posts stated on November 12, 2024 a video FEMA brought 300 semi trucks to Michigan’s Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • November 21, 2024 Facebook posts stated on October 31, 2024 a Facebook post Video shows floods in Valencia, Spain. By Maria Briceño • November 8, 2024 Load More Latest Articles It’s a wrap! Here are PolitiFact’s top 10 fact-checks of 2025 By Maria Briceño • December 29, 2025 Fact-checking political talking points about the 2025 government shutdown By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson, Samantha Putterman • October 1, 2025 On Facebook, posts about celebrity donations for Texas relief efforts went viral. They were baseless By Loreben Tuquero • July 10, 2025 Reports of 2 girls rescued from a tree fueled false hope after Texas storms. Here’s how it spread. By Angela Fu, Angela Fu, Loreben Tuquero • July 7, 2025 Some viral videos of Texas flooding might be fake. Here’s how to spot them. By Grace Abels • July 7, 2025 Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention center isn’t funded by FEMA hurricane money By Maria Briceño • June 26, 2025 Killing chickens, banning TikTok: Six times Trump criticized Democrats for things he also supported By Amy Sherman • February 3, 2025 Verificamos lo que Donald Trump dijo en su inauguración presidencial By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson, Maria Briceño, Maria Ramirez Uribe, Samantha Putterman • January 20, 2025 What to know about the LA fire department’s budget and whether Mayor Karen Bass cut funding By Samantha Putterman • January 14, 2025 2 weeks, 450+ posts: How Elon Musk uses his X profile to push FEMA, immigration, voting falsehoods By Madison Czopek • October 23, 2024 FEMA conspiracy theories have existed for decades. Here’s how the internet has amplified them. October 22, 2024 Ron DeSantis dismisses climate change link to stronger hurricanes. Here’s what the science says. By Samantha Putterman • October 17, 2024 Are foreign adversaries China and Russia amplifying hurricane misinformation? Early signs say yes October 14, 2024 PolitiFact: Donald Trump returns to Butler, Pennsylvania, site of first assassination attempt By Loreben Tuquero • October 6, 2024 Fact-checking 5 misleading claims about Helene relief efforts in North Carolina By Paul Specht • October 5, 2024 Fact-checking DeSantis’ first TV ad about Israel evacuations, hurricane recovery and the border By Amy Sherman, Maria Ramirez Uribe • November 6, 2023 How climate change is making wildfires worse By Sara Swann • June 9, 2023 The Ohio train derailment: What we know about health, environmental concerns By Louis Jacobson, Sara Swann • February 15, 2023 Ohio derailment is just the latest serious industrial accident in the U.S. By Louis Jacobson • February 15, 2023 Trump Administration Approves California Fire Assistance, One Day After Rejecting It By Chris Nichols • October 16, 2020 Latest promises about Natural Disasters Barack Obama Help victims of superstorm Sandy ‘rebuild their lives’ Obama (and Congress) make good on help for Sandy victims | December 14, 2016 Barack Obama Direct revenues from offshore oil and gas drilling to increased coastal hurricane protection A campaign promise long since abandoned | August 20, 2015 Barack Obama Include humanitarian international missions in long-term budgeting Obama boosts military’s humanitarian aid budget | January 11, 2013 Barack Obama Improve communications systems for first responders $7 billion for broadband network on its way, but challenges persist | December 21, 2012 Barack Obama Create a national catastrophe insurance reserve No action on catastrophe fund | November 28, 2012 Barack Obama Improve emergency response plans Administration seems to be following new framework after Sandy | November 17, 2012 Barack Obama Appoint a Chief Financial Officer to oversee the rebuilding following national disasters No CFO for national disasters, but duties addressed | November 15, 2012 Barack Obama Direct rebuilding efforts from the White House after a catastrophe After Sandy, White House taps Shaun Donovan for coordinator role | November 15, 2012 Barack Obama Increase funding for local emergency planning More money in budget for first responders | January 5, 2010 Barack Obama Ensure the Guard and Reserves can meet their homeland security missions Congress compromises on equipment budget | December 22, 2009 Barack Obama Appoint experienced disaster official to head FEMA Obama appoints a seasoned pro but doesn’t change status of job | May 19, 2009 Latest promises about Natural Disasters
